Coat hanger



March 18, 1958 c. A. BRADLY coAT HANGER Filed March 7, 1956 Geci/ A. Bradley IN V EN TOR.

BY WM .5%91:

United States Patent O COAT HANGER Cecl A. Bradley, Alice, Tex.

Application March 7, 1956, Serial No. 570,122

3 Claims. (Cl. 223-89) This invention relates to improvements in coat hangers and particularly to the adjustable type of coat hanger.

In connection with the nature and substance of the invention, there is a garment hanger designed to preserve the natural shape of a coat and to prevent the drooping of the Shoulders, as occurs when a standard wire or wooden hanger is used. The improved garment hanger will be of a thickness and curvature to fill out the coat and prevent its wrinkling. Adjustment as to width will be accomplished by a multi-part coat hanger body that is extensible to the desired length.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an improved, adjustable coat hanger which supports the coat in such a manner that wrinkling due to hanging on a coat hanger is materially reduced.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved coat hanger which includes a pair of body parts that are interfitted with each other so that they are capable of being extended or retracted to the desired relative positions, the movement of the parts being such and the hook on the coat hanger being so arranged that the hook for adjusted parts may be arranged so that the coat hanger is retained at the center of gravity of the coat hanger. In this way the hanger will not become tilted or cocked when adjusted to any of its selected positions.

Another object of the invention is to provide an attractive and inexpensive coat hanger which not only functions to support clothing in a better way due to the wrinkle-free hanging properties of the coat hanger, but also, it has provision for additional garments such as a pair of pants or skirts and when used,.the pants or skirts are protected from accumulation of dust and dirt along the upper edge thereof regardless of how long the pants and/or skirt or other similar clothing is placed on the extensible rod connecting the two parts of the coat hanger, the extensible rod constituting the means for accommodating the additional garments.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accom panying drawing forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a typical garment hanger made in accordance with the principles of the invention;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an elevational view of the coat hanger in Figure 1; and

Figure 4 is a transverse sectional view taken approximately on the line 4-4 of Figure 3.

In practicing the invention there is a coat hanger which is preferably, although not exclusively, made from one of the many commercially available plastic materials. Such materials are easly molded to the desired shape, and it is contemplated that the coat hanger shall have contours to fill out a coat so as to avoid wrinkling as mentioned herein previously. The garment hanger 10 consists of a body 12 made of two pieces 14 and 16. The garment hanger has a front wall 18, a rear wall 20, end walls 22 and 24, and finally a top wall 26. The bottom of the garment hanger is open for the reception of additional garments, articles of clothing and the like. The two end walls 22 and 24 are curved inwardly as at 28 and 30 When moving from the upper end to the lower end of each. This means that the front andrear walls 18 and 2.0 respectively are wider at the top than they are at the bottom. The parts 14 and 16 of the garment hanger are overlapped and extensibly connected to each other.

The means connecting the parts 14 and 16 of the garment hanger are seen best in Figures 2 and 4. These means comprise a channel 34 formed at the lower edge of front wall 18 and on one panel 36 thereof. The other panel 38 has its lower edge slidable in the upwardly opening channel 34. A similar construction is along the lower edge of the back wall 24. Here, the panel 40 has an upwardly opening channel 42 along its lower edge. The other panel 44 of back wall 20 has its lower end slidably disposed in the upwardly opening channel 42. An extensible transverse rod 43 is mounted between the end walls 22 and 24. It consists of a sleeve 50 which is fixed to wall 28 and a rod 52 that is slidably disposed in sleeve 50. Rod 52 is fixed to wall 24, whereby upon adjustment of the two parts of the hanger 'the extensible rod 48 is extended or retracted con'espondingly. lnasmuch as the extensible rod 48 is spaced from the open lower end of the garment hanger, any garments placed thereon will be within the confines of the garment hanger whereby protection and shelter from dust and other debris is obtained. The front wall 8 is shortened with respect to the rear wall 29 thereby providing an entrance 54 for the placement and removal of garments from the extensible rod 48.

In order to support the garment hanger there is a hook' 53 adapted to be disposed on a standard pole 60 in a closet or some other support. The lower end of the hook 53 has a transverse supporting pin 62 fixed to it, the ends of which seat in the transverse grooves 64 that are formed in the top wall 12 adjacent to the center thereof. These grooves are the Valleys between the undulations that are formed in each of the overlapped parts of the top wall 12 and therefore they constitute means for releasably looking the parts of the coat hanger in the selected, adjusted positions necessary to accommodate various sizes of garments. Slot 66 formed in each of the overlapped parts of the top wall 12 has the hook shank passed therethrough. A protective hood 68 has an opening in it through which the shank of hook 58 is passed, this hood covering the slot 66 and the undulations. This prevents tangling of the garments.

In use the hanger is placed on a pole or other supporting device in the manner identical to the use of an ordinary coat hanger. However, the features of adjustability and preserving the garments in an orderly manner rather than have them wrinkled as has been found to be the case by using many other coat hangers, are obtained.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is 'clairned as new is: as follows:

1. A garment hanger comprising a two part body' which has a front wall, a back wall, a top wall, two end walls, :and antopen bottom, said front and back walls being wider'at their upper ends than Vat theirlower .ends to fit slightly andunder the ,arm Vholes of the vgarment,v said front, rear and top walls being overlapped; means consisting of enmeshed undulations' in said parts extensibly connecting VsaidV parts together,V a collar sup;

porting shield rising upwardly from said body top wall,V

approximately planar upper wall which when' positioned generally horizontal supports theV Shoulders of the garfnent, a front and rear wall, two end walls which have a inwardly sloped lower end portion's to fit under the arm h-oies of the garment, said front'walthaving an entrance aIong its loweriedge whereby access to the interior of the coat hanger is obtainable, a garment support extending Vacross said end walls and located within andrbe- .a `V.'42 hind said entrance, a hook attached to said body by which the hanger'may be disposedQon a support, 'said body having two parts thateare extensibly' connected to f each other, means including enmeshed undulations on some of said parts for releasably vlooking saidrparts together, said undulations interfitted with each other lto constitute a device for releasably looking said parts of said body in selected extended positions, the parts of said body having slots, said hook extending through said slots, and means for supporting said hook Within said i undulations so that said hooktmay be adjusted whereby to maintain it at approximately the center of gravity of the ga'r'ment hanger. i a

3. The combination .of clim Z together with a collar supporting shield which extends over said undulations in'order to prevent tangling of the clothing therewith.

References Cite d in the file of this patent i U1-111ED 'STATES PATENTS ;114,803 I 2,421,433 p Poole June 3, 1947 V2,738,9Cv8V White Mar. 20, 1956 V7FOREIGN PATENTS p i 769,022 France .V.v June` 5,',193143V 648,439 VGreat Britain Ian. 3, 1951 Kurucz et al.. Apr. 19, 1938V 

